NEWS

Business school dean makes $100,000 gift
to the Morehead Scholarship program

CHAPEL HILL -- Kenan-Flagler Business School Dean Steve Jones has made a $100,000 gift to the John Motley Morehead Foundation to support the scholarship program that had a profound impact on his life.

Jones, an Elkin, N.C., native, holds a 1974 bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a 1978 master’s of business administration with distinction from Harvard Business School. A former chief executive officer of one of Australia’s largest companies and managing director of one of New Zealand’s top companies, he returned to UNC last August when he was offered the dean’s post at the business school.

A Morehead Alumnus, Jones maintained ties to the Morehead Foundation when he was in Australia by establishing summer internships for two undergraduate Moreheads in Brisbane. His gift to the foundation continues that spirit of dedication to UNC, said Morehead Executive Director Chuck Lovelace.

"John Motley Morehead would be proud that Steve’s commitment to giving back is so philosophically close to his own," Lovelace said. "Uncle Mot’s success in business and life was inextricably tied to his Carolina experience. In turn, he invested in outstanding students, students with the potential for leadership like Steve. And now Steve is reinvesting — professionally in UNC Kenan-Flagler and financially in the Morehead Program. It’s the full circle, a b-school case study in the power of philanthropy."

The Morehead is a unique educational opportunity that provides students with limitless academic and professional opportunities. It includes a full, four-year undergraduate scholarship to UNC-Chapel Hill that provides the costs of tuition, books, room and board, a laptop computer, a stipend for spending money each semester and four fully funded summer experiences. The Summer Enrichment Program provides Morehead Scholars with a remarkable range of customized experiences and internships each summer aimed at giving them greater self-knowledge and an understanding of how they can make a difference in the world. Morehead Scholars also benefit from mentoring by the Morehead Foundation staff and Morehead Alumni around the world.

"A lot of the good fortune I’ve experienced can be traced to how the university shaped me as a person. My original tie to UNC was created by the Morehead Foundation," Jones said. "When you are given a Morehead, you are being given a torch. There comes a time when you need to hand it back so someone else can have it, too.

"As the cost of education across the country continues to rise, my wife, Lisa, and I hope that this gift will allow for one more Morehead for a deserving student."

Jones said the Morehead gave him an enormous boost in confidence before he set foot on campus.

"You’re able to hit the ground running. The staff of the program treats you like family from day one," Jones said. "And after graduation as a Morehead Scholar, you have access to an amazing network of more than 2,500 Morehead Alumni. It’s a wonderful program that has a positive impact throughout your life."

The Jones gift counts toward the university’s Carolina First Campaign, a comprehensive, multi-year private fund-raising campaign with a goal of $1.8 billion to support Carolina’s vision of becoming the nation’s leading public university.

For information on The Morehead Foundation, visit www.moreheadfoundation.org.

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Morehead Foundation contact: Megan Mazzocchi, (919) 962-1201, megan@unc.edu

Kenan-Flagler contact: Kim Weaver Spurr, (919) 962-8951, spurrk@unc.edu